Disposable face towels: why the bath towel is the weak spot in a careful routine, and when single-use makes sense

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Researched. We have not used this one long enough to give you a verdict, and we would rather say so than invent one. What follows is how it works, who it suits, and what it will not do. When we have used it properly, this page carries the verdict and the date.

Clean Skin Club Clean Towels XL

One of Amazon's top ten beauty products this week is not a serum or a cream. It is a pack of disposable towels for drying your face. It sounds like a small thing, and in a sense it is, but it addresses a real weak spot in a careful routine.

The bath towel problem

You wash your face carefully, then press it into a towel that has been hanging damp in a warm bathroom for days, used on your body and hands, and maybe shared. Damp fabric in a warm room is a comfortable home for bacteria, and a towel collects skin cells, product and oil with every use. For most people this causes no trouble. For skin that is easily irritated or prone to breakouts, it is one more thing touching your face that is not as clean as the face you just washed.

What these are

According to the listing, these are single-use, dry face towels made from 100% USDA biobased plant fibre, 50 to a pack. You use one to pat your face dry, and they can also be dampened to wipe off makeup. The listing says they are vegan and cruelty-free, and the title notes they are accepted by the Eczema Association. The title describes them as ultra soft, and unlike tissue, they are made for the job.

How to use them

After cleansing, pat your face dry with one towel rather than rubbing, then go straight on with your routine; most skincare works best on skin that is still slightly damp. One towel usually does both the face and neck. The pack is easy to keep by the sink or in a travel bag.

The cheaper ways to do the same thing

The principle is simply a clean, dry surface every time. You can get that without buying anything new: keep a stack of small washcloths for your face only, use a fresh one each day, and wash them hot. That is cheaper over time and creates no waste. Disposable towels earn their place when laundry is not practical: travel, the gym, a busy week, or a shared bathroom.

The waste trade-off

A plant-based towel used once and thrown away is still a towel thrown away. If you use these daily, that adds up. A mixed approach works well for many people: washcloths at home, a pack of disposables for travel and busy days.

Who it suits

Anyone with sensitive or easily irritated skin who wants to rule the towel out, anyone who shares a bathroom, travellers, and anyone who uses a cleansing brush or other tools and wants the whole routine kept clean.

What it will not do

A clean towel will not fix skin trouble on its own; it removes one possible irritant, and that is all. It will not be cheaper than washcloths over time. And it will not suit anyone trying to cut single-use products.

The product

Single-use, plant-based dry face towels, 50 per pack, one of Amazon's top ten beauty sellers this week, sold by Clean Skin Club's own store when we checked.

The one people are searching for is the Clean Skin Club Clean Towels XL.

Clean Skin Club Clean Towels XL

We do not print prices here, because a price we typed last month is a price that is wrong today.

Written by JamieG in Garner Town, Tennessee.